A K9 officer in Boone County was killed in the line of duty after police say a suspected drunk driver hit the back of a squad car.
Boone County Sheriff's Deputy Robert Rosenkranz was conducting a traffic stop along Interstate 90 around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, December 27. That's when the suspected drunk driver hit his squad, with K9 Loki inside, according to a statement from the Boone County Sheriff's Office.
K9 Loki was taken to an emergency vet clinic in Rockford, but later passed away.
"Thankfully, Deputy Rosenkranz was out of the vehicle and only received minor injuries from flying debris," read a post on Facebook about the crash.
The crash, which happened about 130 miles northeast of the Quad Cities, remains under investigation by the Illinois State Police District 15.
After announcing the crash, the Boone County Sheriff's Department said they had received "a tremendous amount of requests" to donate to their K9 program.
Donations may be sent to the Boone County Sheriff's Office at 615 N. Main St. Belvidere, IL 61008.
